Almost half of B.C. beef could have come from plant at centre of E. coli scare (with video)

Almost half the beef consumed in B.C. could have come out of the Alberta-based processing plant at the centre of the biggest beef recall in Canadian history.

Kevin Boon, general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, estimated that 40 to 45 per cent of the beef consumed in this province could have passed through the XL Foods plant where E. coli contaminated beef was found last month, resulting in the recall of hundreds of products from across Canada and eight U.S. states. All of the country’s major grocery retailers are affected.

The plant is one of two in Alberta that supply most of B.C.’s beef, Boon said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says in an updated health hazard alert released overnight that dozens of additional products, including roasts and sausages, have been added to a long list of recalled beef.

The agency announced the expanded recall as it continues to investigate the Edmonton meat-packing plant, which had its licence temporarily suspended last week.

The CFIA is warning the public, distributors and food service establishments not to consume, sell, or serve any of the beef products on the list because they may be contaminated with E. coli.

The new additions are products sold in Ontario by The Kitchen Table, Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer and Valu-Mart, in Quebec by Entrepot de Viandes stores, by Brooks Meat Packers in Alberta, and Co-op, ValuFoods and Village Mart in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.

Also added to the list are products from Real Canadian Superstore and Extra Foods stores across most provinces, along with many Dominion stores, Loblaws in Quebec, Real Atlantic Superstore in the Maritimes and Save Easy stores in the Atlantic provinces.

No one in B.C. has become sick as a result of eating the contaminated meat, according to the Provincial Health Services Authority, but nine people in Alberta have become ill, including a four-year old girl who had surgery Sunday. Her case has not been linked definitely to tainted meat from XL Foods, but four cases have.

The affected beef products were manufactured by XL on Aug. 24, 27, 28, 29 and Sept. 5, according to the CFIA. Some of the best before dates stretch into mid-October. The agency has published a complete list of affected products on its website — www.inspection.gc.ca — showing the affected retailers, brands and UPCs and advises Canadians to check any beef products in their homes against that list. Consumers who are unsure about a product should either verify its source with the retailer or throw it away, the agency says on its website.

On Sept. 4, CFIA first detected E. coli in an XL Foods product as part of its own routine testing program. On that same day, the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed the agency of a positive E. coli sample in beef trimmings from XL Foods.

Hundreds of beef products have been recalled since Sept. 16, and the CFIA has indicated the recall is likely to expand. CFIA has since temporarily suspended the operating licence of XL Foods Inc.’s facility in Brooks, Alta. The plant, the second-largest slaughterhouse in Canada, is also no longer allowed to ship product to the United States.

After determining that no affected product was in the marketplace, the agency launched an in-depth investigation to determine the source of the contamination. As part of this probe, CFIA decided to recall products produced on five separate days of production between Aug. 24 and Sept. 5, after noting deviations from the company’s documented E. coli control measures and analyzing test data.

Richard Arsenault, the agency’s director of meat inspection, confirmed tougher regulations are coming that will require companies to improve data analysis practices and do more than just test for E. coli. A CFIA review found that the plant needed to strengthen its response measures when a higher-than-usual number of positive E. coli tests were found.

“If they don’t put the dots together to get the big picture for the day, they may be missing something. And that’s where we have an improvement and we’re going to make something happen,” Arsenault said.

About 90 per cent of the calves raised in B.C. go to feedlots in either Alberta or the U.S. for finishing, according to Boon of the Cattlemen’s Association. Concerned consumers can find B.C.-raised and slaughtered beef at places like local butcher shops and farmers markets, he added.

E. coli infection can cause mild to severe symptoms including diarrhea and stomach cramps, which usually start three or four days after exposure to the bacteria and last five to 10 days, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. In rare cases, it can be life threatening. Infection is usually due to eating raw or undercooked ground beef or meat juices. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should drink lots of clear fluids and see a doctor.

However, the proper handling and thorough cooking of meat — especially ground beef — is an effective way of killing the bacteria that cause E. coli infection, Boon said.

“I would say that you can go and have your burger for supper or your steak for supper and feel completely confident that you’re going to be fine tomorrow.”

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